One of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading developers is investing for the long
term in Barking and Dagenham. Look out for exciting new places
and high-quality homes for everyone to enjoy.

Issue 8
Spring 2017
boldmagazine.co.uk

Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talking about the problems
with renting. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re solving them.

be:here Barking coming in 2018

be:here is a new approach to
the private rented sector.
• We create vibrant new communities
and then ensure they act as catalysts
for local regeneration
• Our homes are designed specifically
for rent. For example our 2 beds have
two equal sized bedrooms that both
enjoy en-suite bathrooms
• We have an on-site management team
who resolve any issues as soon as they
arise and look after the buildings
• We provide a range of additional facilities
and services that makes people’s lives
easier such as superfast broadband,
extra storage and dry cleaning
• All of our charges are fair and transparent
• In short we’ve looked at every aspect
of the rental experience and created a
complete package that offers renters a
distinctly better deal.

be:here schemes also available
in East India (letting now), Hayes
(Reserving now) and Kew (2018).

www.be-here.co.uk
Part of the Willmott Dixon Group

Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Higher & Degree Apprenticeships

“BDC are an excellent training provider
they listen and more
importantly they act!”
Denize Halton
Pre-Construction Manager

Whether you are a sole trader or a multi-national, well trained employees will
keep your business healthy. To develop the skills of your workforce eﬀectively,
you need �exible training options that are designed around your business.
That's where Barking & Dagenham College Business Engagement Team can
help.
Supporting you with bespoke training through to Apprenticeship at all levels
Sup
all are fantastic opportunities for you to equip your business with the most
up-to-date skills around to give yourselves an edge against competitors.
Talk to the Employer Services Team at Barking & Dagenham College today.
020 3667 0333
employer.services@bdc.ac.uk

“The London Borough of Redbridge needs skilled people to
operate in themodern economy and BDC provide us
with those skills, from entry to higher level, in a
superior quality learning environment with a
professional service”
Ann Butler
Workforce Development Manager

Significant infrastructure
proposals include
extending the Overground
into Barking Riverside and
tunnelling the A13.
18 HOUSING
Thousands of homes are
being built in the borough,
including at London’s
largest regeneration site.

38

29 MAP
Locating the borough’s
major schemes.
30 PROJECTS
Including the
redevelopment of a
famous former factory and
opening up the riverside.
36 MARKETS
Facts and figures.
38 THE ARTIST’S VIEW
What are the views of those
involved with the borough’s
cultural scene on how
artists can contribute to
creating a sense of place?

43 LIFESTYLE
Popular restaurants,
bustling leisure centres and
a theatre are attracting the
attention of homebuyers
and developers alike.
46 BARKING-NOT-BERLIN
Council leader Darren
Rodwell calls for
emigrating London artists
to remain in the capital – by
moving to Barking.

5

NEWS

Abbey Sports Centre
redevelopment approved
A mixed-use scheme featuring 150
homes for the private rented sector
is to be developed on Barking’s Axe
Street (below).
Barking and Dagenham
Council gave the go-ahead to the
redevelopment of the former Abbey
Sports Centre in October 2016.
The scheme, designed by bptw
partnership for developer Lindhill,
will include 3,350sq m of commercial
and retail space, a cinema, offices and
public realm improvements.
The project will see the site
occupied by a building varying in
height from two to 13 storeys, with
retail and leisure uses at ground level,

offices on the first floor and homes at
the upper levels.
The residential space will be mainly
made up of one and two-bedroom
apartments, with a small number
of three-bedroom homes; 15 will be
suitable for wheelchair adaptation.
Lee Fitzpatrick, director at Lindhill,
said of the scheme: “It has been
a collaborative approach between
Lindhill, Barking and Dagenham and
bptw. We worked closely to ensure this
scheme reflects the future needs of
the area’s regeneration.
“This is a prime example of what
the right development team and a
forward-thinking council can achieve.”

EAST PLUS PORTFOLIO MARKETED
Industrial space between Barking and
Rainham has come to the market.
The East Plus portfolio includes five
locations totalling 35ha along the A13,
from Jenkins Lane in Barking to Ferry
Lane in south Rainham.
Property consultancy Glenny is
acting on behalf of SEGRO with the
Greater London Authority.
At the 5.5-ha Jenkins Lane site,
4,180sq m of space has been let, while
discussions are ongoing for the rest
of the site, where up to 9,290sq m for
warehouses can be provided.

Space is available for occupiers
demonstrating “green credentials”
at the London Sustainable Industries
Park at Dagenham Dock.
The development is expected to
create up to 2,100 jobs.
JJ Foods’ 1,730sq m Dagenham
warehouse at Unit 5, Orion Park,
adjacent to its own facility, is also
being marketed by Glenny.
In Barking, Clock House is now fully
let, after recruitment consultancy
Atom Services took the fourth floor
office suite.

CHINA TOWN
The first freight train to ever travel
from China to the UK arrived at
its final destination in Barking on
18 January 2017.
It departed from Yiwu, in the
eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang,
travelling 12,000 kilometres across
seven countries in 18 days.
Textiles, clothes, bags and
household goods were transported on
the train through Kazakhstan, Russia,
Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium
and France, before entering the
Channel Tunnel into Britain.
It would have taken the cargo twice
as long to reach its destination if it
had been transported by sea, while
air freight would have been twice as
expensive to send.
London is the 15th European city to
be added to the map of destinations

having a direct rail link with China,
as part of the “One Belt, One Road”
strategy by Chinese president Xi
Jinping. Swiss company InterRail
Group operated the train on behalf of
China Railway subsidiary CRIMT.
More than 100 people, including
officials from the Chinese embassy
and Yiwu’s local government, were
present to witness the train’s arrival
at DB Cargo’s London Eurohub in
Barking – an event which received
coverage from the national and
international media.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, leader
of Barking and Dagenham Council,
celebrated the train’s arrival as “a
sign that Barking and Dagenham is
increasingly at the epicentre of the
capital’s eastward shift”.
“The challenge now is for British

business to fill the trains going back,”
he added.
A council spokesperson said the
new service was expected to provide
a fillip to trade between China and
the UK, as well as boosting economic
development in the borough.

7

BOLD News

BOOST FOR
HEALTHCARE

Coventry University’s Dagenham digs
Willmott Dixon Interiors has been
selected to transform Dagenham’s
civic centre into Coventry University’s
(CU) London campus.
The £4.5 million contract,
announced on 6 February 2017, will
transform the site into a contemporary
learning environment.
Opening in September 2017,
CU London aims to make higher
education more accessible, by offering
lower tuition fees – from £5,846 a year
– and lower entry requirements.
CU London will also be offering
flexible teaching and part-time
courses run on Saturdays.
John Dishman, chief executive

8

officer and director of CU Coventry,
said: “As we look to make higher
education more accessible, it is
excellent that Willmott Dixon Interiors
is offering training and employability
opportunities to local residents as
part of the project. The civic centre
is an iconic east London landmark
and Willmott Dixon is experienced in
transforming listed buildings.”
The grade-II listed building will still
be owned by Barking and Dagenham
Council and rented to the university on
a 10-year lease.
Applications have opened for
September 2017. Open days are being
held between March and May 2017.

Healthy ageing innovation centre,
Care City has launched a digital
initiative in Barking and Dagenham
to improve outcomes for conditions
such as dementia, reduce demand
on the NHS and help people
engage with their health problems.
The digital service for GPs and
other health professionals to use,
will provide patients with digital
prescriptions based on a person’s
long-term condition and location
– taken directly from their
electronic records.
Initially the project will focus
on dementia, before being
implemented for other conditions.
Care City is one of five national
health and social care test beds,
and is the only one in London. It
spans four boroughs: Barking and
Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge
and Waltham Forest. It seeks to
test new approaches to service
patients, assessing whether such
measures have the capacity to
improve serious conditions.
A quality improvement function
was also launched in January
to determine and address the
challenges that require people from
local health and care groups to
work collaboratively.
Dr Matt Jameson Evans, chief
medical officer of HealthUnlocked,
which, with Care City, is behind
the initivative, said: “By opening
up support and services to those
affected by dementia, we can give
people a far better quality of life.
“This is a first of its kind, digitally
advanced service that has the
potential to radically change selfmanagement in healthcare – and in
particular for people with dementia
in London.”
Care City is also partly
responsible for implementing
the healthy new town at Barking
Riverside (see pages 24 – 27).

London’s first “youth zone”
proposed for Barking
National charity OnSide has
submitted a planning application to
establish London’s first “youth zone”
in Barking and Dagenham.
The east London borough was
chosen as it has a high number
of people with conditions such
as obesity. This will be tackled by
offering affordable opportunities for
younger residents to engage in sport
and leisure activities in one of the
country’s poorest areas.
People aged between eight and
18 will have access to facilities at
£5 for annual membership and
50p per visit. The youth zone will offer
20 activities each night, ranging from
football, boxing, dancing and climbing
to creative arts, music, drama and
employability training.
With eight open facilities across its
network in the north-west and the
midlands, the youth zone is proposed
for Barking and Dagenham’s Parsloes
Park, where Porters Avenue meets
Gale Street. If planning approval is
granted, building work on the facility
is expected to be completed in 2018.
The charity is working with Barking

and Dagenham Council as a strategic
partner on the project, as well as the
Jack Petchey Foundation and The
Queen’s Trust.
Young people from the area
named the new youth zone ‘Future’,
after a borough-wide branding
consultation process.
A group also travelled to Rugby to
work with HB Architects, which has
been appointed to develop and oversee
the designs. They gave feedback on
how they want the exterior of the
building to look and how some of the
internal areas could be best arranged.
Future youth zone chair and
OnSide’s London champion, Charles
Mindenhall, said: “The submission of
this planning application is not only
a huge step forward for Barking and
Dagenham but for London as a whole.
“A tremendous amount of hard
work has gone into consulting young
people about what they want to see
in their youth zone. OnSide’s motto of
‘somewhere to go, something to do
and someone to talk to’ is exactly what
Future will give to the young people of
Barking and Dagenham.”

SHORTLIST FOR LONDON
OVERGROUND EXTENSION
Three companies have been
shortlisted to bid to build the
Barking Riverside Overground
extension, Transport for London
has announced.
Balfour Beatty, Carillion or
VolkerFitzpatrick/Morgan Sindall’s
joint venture will be selected to
build the 4.5km lengthening of the
Gospel Oak to Barking line to reach
the site where 10,800 homes are
being built.
A Transport and Works Act Order
was submitted to the secretary
of state for transport in March
2016. If it is approved, construction
will begin in late 2017, with train
services starting in 2021.
The £263 million extension
will be mainly funded by Barking
Riverside Limited, a joint venture
between the Greater London
Authority and London & Quadrant.

9

BOLD News

Council establishes own development company
A company dedicated to accelerating
economic growth has been approved
in Barking and Dagenham.
The council gave the green light to
Be First in November 2016, with the
aim of speeding up regeneration and
development and to spur growth in
the borough, as well as increasing
opportunities for residents. The
move follows a recent independent
growth commission investigation into
prospects for Barking and Dagenham.
Attracting investment and funding
for the borough will be a key Be
First priority. Allocated grants will
be put towards new homes, better

infrastructure and securing jobs for
the future.
The company will be entirely owned
by the public sector and managed by
a board of regeneration experts. It is
expected to generate £16 million for
the council over the next 10 years.
Though the council will continue
to make final decisions on planning
applications and to approve strategic
plans and policies, Be First will offer
pre-planning and project delivery
services, as well as setting up joint
ventures and other companies to
deliver regeneration.
“Barking and Dagenham is already

recognised as one of London’s growth
hotspots but we are determined to
ensure that investors understand
that it is not just the best place in the
capital, but also one of the easiest
to do business with,” said Councillor
Dominic Twomey, deputy leader of
the council and cabinet member for
finance, growth and investment.
“Be First will be a major force in
driving down unemployment, building
housing and improving education and
skills in the borough.”
Appointments to the board of Be
First will be made by spring 2017 and
staff are to be recruited in summer.

Full occupancy for
business park
Lyon Business Park in Barking is
fully let, it has been announced.
Picton Capital’s newly
refurbished, 2,400sq m Unit O
has been let to in-flight catering
provider Newrest Servair, which
joins occupiers such as WE Deane
and Tea Palace on the estate on
River Road.
Units at the park range in sizes
from 280 to 4,180sq m.
Property consultant Glenny
represented Picton alongside
Knight Frank.

10

H

The Estates & Agency Group has a strong track record of successful involvement in
Barking and is committed to the continuing exciting regeneration of the Borough
Sites Previously Developed by E&A
A

Roding House
Cambridge Road

E

Maritime House
1 Linton Road

B

Central House
Cambridge Road

F

50-74 Station Parade
Barking

C

Focal House
12/18 Station Parade

G

Radial House
Ripple Road

D

Trocoll House
Wakering Road

H

Clock House
East Street, Barking

Current Property Holdings
The ﬁrst phase of the Abbey Retail Park site regeneration
– Barking Wharf – is now under construction, with Be:here
developing 597 PRS units.

BOLD Unlocking growth

Line
dance
Matthew Young reports on how plans to
boost Barking and Dagenhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s connectivity
options could spur development and turn
this part of east London into one of the
capitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most desirable places to live
12

WITH THOUSANDS OF homes in
the pipeline and plans for key rail
extensions to improve Barking and
Dagenhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transport links, the
transformation of the borough into
a place desired by homebuyers and
businesses alike looks set to continue.
There are ample opportunities for
new development projects, which are
set to become available as a result of
the proposed extension of the London
Overground train service to Barking
Riverside, a pivotal part of one of the
largest planned residential projects in
the UK.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan last year
gave the green light to a masterplan

BOLD Unlocking growth

Left and below: A
new station at
Barking Riverside
will feature attractive
public realm.

to build 10,800 new homes over the
next 15 years at Barking Riverside,
home until the 1980s to three working
power stations.
The development is the capital’s
single biggest regeneration site.
It will be home to a promenade, a
wildlife reserve and a marina, sitting
alongside a picturesque part of the
River Thames. Some homes have
already been built, more are under
construction and a new round will
begin this year.
Construction of the Overground
extension is likely to begin later in
2017, with train services scheduled
to be ready by 2021, serving Barking

Riverside and the surrounding marina.
The works include modification to
existing railway lines from Barking
station over a stretch of 3km, with a
new 1.5km stretch of railway from
Renwick Road bridge to a new station
where the service will terminate.
The extension will serve close
to 25,000 new residents when it is
complete. Should plans for a further
extension under the river to southeast London’s Abbey Wood go ahead,
access to and from Barking Riverside
will be further improved.
Transport for London (TfL) has
already started the procurement
process, with three contractors being

considered to build the extension
of the Gospel Oak to Barking
line: Balfour Beatty, Carillion or
VolkerFitzpatrick/Morgan Sindall’s
joint venture.
The majority of the £260 million
for the project is coming from the
developers, a joint venture between
the Greater London Authority (GLA)
and London and Quadrant (L&Q),
which are providing £172 million, with
the remainder pledged by TfL.
Daniel Pope, acting head of
planning at Barking and Dagenham
Council, says that without the
line being built, it would only be
possible to construct 4,000 homes

13

BOLD Unlocking growth

at the Barking Riverside site. The
Overground development is now likely
to go ahead and the possibility of a
further extension across the Thames
is proposed.
“Longer term, there is an aspiration
to take it to Abbey Wood Crossrail
station. Then the connections would
be even better for the area. It’s really
that link to Crossrail, it just improves
public transport,” Pope adds.
The London mayor is currently
considering the case for the extension
across the river.
Retailers in the borough are
expected to benefit from the scheme
too. The council says that an average
of two-and-a-half people are set to
live in each of the 10,800 new homes,
and with the Overground linking it with
the rest of the region, Barking town
centre is set to thrive from the influx
of new shoppers.
David Harley, acting head of
regeneration at the council, says: “The

14

Developments
like this one
will play a huge
part in efforts
to provide
genuinely
affordable
homes

Overground will also benefit Barking
town centre because we will have
around 25,000 people living at Barking
Riverside who can get there by train.
It’s potentially huge for Barking town
centre, which is undergoing its
own transformation.”
Homebuyers are already showing a
huge amount of interest in the area,
thanks to affordable house prices and
its proximity to the river. Some 35%
of the properties are aimed at being
affordable, and that figure could rise
to 50% depending on a grant from the
GLA. That interest is likely to surge
once the Overground extension is in
place and is predicted by the council
to do so again if the further connection
over the river to Abbey Wood is made.
Pope says people who go to Barking
Riverside note the quality of the
homes, the impressive landscaping
and the proximity to the river. “We’ve
also already got the best performing
primary school in the borough there

BOLD Unlocking growth

[George Carey Church of England
Primary School],” he adds.
“About 900 homes have been built
and have people living in them with
a further 800 under construction.
People who have moved there love
it because nowhere else in London
can you get so much space for that
amount of money.
“Those who already live there were
not certain the Overground extension
would be built when they moved in,
but when it happens it will really drive
the next round of housing. About 500
or 600 homes will be built there every
year once people are aware of the
transport links that are coming.”
These homes will be a mix of
those which are earmarked as being
affordable to rent and one, two and
three-bedroom properties for firsttime buyers.
The vast development is aiming to
unlock something that many of the
borough’s residents did not know or
believe was accessible to them: the
River Thames. Despite huge swathes
of the south of the borough having
the famous waterway all to itself, for
many years it was inaccessible.
Harley says: “Some people in
the borough do not know we’ve got
the River Thames. It is there in the
southern part of the borough but for
many years there was no access to
it. Unlocking access to the Thames
will be a great benefit for the whole of
Barking and Dagenham.
“A development of this size does
not happen very often in London. It
will have a transformational impact
and will help change the existing
perceptions of Barking and show
what’s happening here.”
The council is confident that the
scheme will not just provide homes
for people to live in, but offer a good
quality of life with the riverside being a
place where residents can walk, relax,
shop, eat and drink.
The London mayor made this
point when approving plans for the
homes back in September: “I have
made it clear that tackling London’s
housing crisis is my number one

The Overground (left)
could be extended into
Barking Riverside and
congestion reduced by
tunnelling under the A13.
Below: Barking station.

priority. Fixing this problem will
be a marathon, not a sprint, but
developments like this one will play
a huge part in our efforts to provide
genuinely affordable homes for people
to buy and rent.”
“Our next task is to ensure this
development includes the facilities
and infrastructure which will make
this a fantastic place to live and to
visit, rather than simply a housing
development,” he adds.
But there is more to the region
than just the Barking Riverside
development, with proposals to tunnel
a stretch of the A13 coming forward.
Previous London mayor Boris
Johnson decided that a good way
to tackle congestion and air quality
issues in the capital, while at the same

time freeing up land for development,
would be to tunnel under trunk roads
in chosen locations.
Pope says: “We put the A13 forward
because we thought it would be a
good candidate, and Boris Johnson
also thought it was the best road
for tunnelling.
“It will also reduce severance in the
area, as well as addressing air quality,
improving traffic flow and unlocking
land for new homes.
“TfL has submitted a business
case to the Treasury. They agreed last
March that it seems a good idea and
TfL is doing more detailed work on the
business plan.
“We have also got interest now
from developers,” he adds.
The 1.3km tunnel between the

15

BOLD Unlocking growth

Below: The first
freight train arriving
in London from
China at DB Cargo
UK’s Eurohub
terminal in Barking.

Barking and Dagenham is
increasingly at the epicentre of the
capital’s eastward shift
Lodge Avenue flyover and Goresbrook
Interchange is expected to create job
opportunities while also helping to
solve notorious bottlenecks at Lodge
Avenue and Renwick Road.
Another proposal high on the
council’s priority list is a plan to create
a direct rail link between Barking town
centre and Stratford.
Currently the journey time to
Stratford, which reaped the rewards
of hosting the London 2012 Olympics,
is around 15 minutes, requiring a
change at West Ham.
But a feasibility study, due to be
carried out later this year and partfunded by TfL, will analyse whether a
direct link can be established. If the

16

plans do go ahead, it would mean a
direct journey of eight minutes.
While jobs and opportunities
are being created through various
developments, Barking received
national attention for a different
reason at the beginning of the year.
On January 19, the first freight
train from China to the UK arrived
at DB Cargo UK’s London Eurohub
terminal in Barking. Councillor
Darren Rodwell, leader of Barking
and Dagenham Council, says this is
“a sign that Barking and Dagenham
is increasingly at the epicentre of the
capital’s eastward shift”.
The train, loaded primarily with
textiles and consumer goods,

originated in Yiwu in the eastern
Chinese province of Zhejiang. It
reached London in around 18 days,
making it in half the time than if
transported by sea.
Operated by the InterRail Group,
a multinational transport operator
headquartered in Switzerland, on
behalf of China Railway subsidiary
CRIMT, various freight railways
handled traction along the 12,000km
route. DB Cargo is responsible for
handling the section from Duisburg to
London via the Channel Tunnel.
Barking and Dagenham is clearly
reaping the rewards of funding that
has been ploughed into the area by
various authorities and developers.
Not only is the borough set to
benefit from more homes and better
transport connections: those not
aware of its offer will soon have better
access to explore it.
With potential for thousands of new
homes, a buzz around the new marina
and better links to the Thames,
more money is expected to be
invested for significant infrastructure
improvements, and Barking and
Dagenham is set to thrive.

/\TKINS

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BOLD Housing

Below: Integrated
communities
will be crucial to
the 360 Barking
development.

Homegrown
With a housing zone in Barking town centre, and
Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest regeneration site at Barking
Riverside, Maria Shahid finds an east London
borough which is playing a pivotal part in dealing
with the capitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing crisis
18

BOLD Housing

BARKING AND DAGENHAM
has undergone something of a
renaissance in recent years. London
mayor Sadiq Khan visited Barking
Riverside on a sunny September
morning in 2016 to announce the
enormous potential of the site “to
deliver thousands of the much-needed
homes Londoners so urgently need”.
This is a major boost to Barking and
Dagenham Council’s ambitions to
make housing a priority.
Khan approved a masterplan to
build 10,800 homes on London’s
single largest regeneration site
located on the northern banks of the
River Thames. The 180-ha brownfield
site, which has been described as
having a similar potential to European
cities such as Barcelona, where
underdeveloped waterfronts have
been reinvigorated, is expected to take
15 years to complete, and will include
a promenade, wildlife reserves and
a marina.
Alex Jeremy, a regeneration officer
at the council, explains Barking
Riverside’s masterplan accounts for
over a fifth of the borough’s ambition

to create 50,000 homes over the next
20 years. The site’s affordable housing
provision is a minimum of 35% and
this could rise to 50% over time
through additional investment and
viability reviews.
The scheme is being delivered
through a joint venture between the
Greater London Authority (GLA) and
London and Quadrant (L&Q), called
Barking Riverside Limited. It aims
to build at least 600 homes a year
until 2030, when the project is due to
complete. Under the former plan, 900
homes were built and 200 more are
expected by summer 2017. The first
homes were launched in September
2016 and further properties are due to
be released this year.
Development on the next phase of
housing is due to start in summer
2017, and will see 381 units built for
private and shared ownership.
L&Q is also due to launch the first
100 private rented sector (PRS) units
on site imminently; 3,000 PRS units
are included in the overall masterplan.
The £263 million extension of the
London Overground Gospel Oak to

Barking line into Barking Riverside
is predicted to make the site more
attractive to homebuyers. Barking
Riverside Limited is providing £172
million, with the remainder supplied
by Transport for London.
Matt Carpen, project director at
Barking Riverside Limited, says a
decision on the public enquiry for the
extension, which took place in October
2016, is expected in 2017. Work is
likely to start in 2018.
“The site needed a strategic
transport connection. The Overground
extension is fundamental to the site
and we are currently working on

Above: Barking
Riverside residents
would benefit from
plans to extend the
London Overground
into the site.

19

BOLD Housing

the detailed design of the station
building,” he adds.
The station is expected to be fully
operational by 2021. Carpen says the
intention is to have a well-established
community on-site when it opens. For
now, he is keen to encourage nonresidential meanwhile uses – either
commercial or creative.
But Barking Riverside is only a
part of the borough’s housing jigsaw.
An independent growth commission
report in 2016, led by Mike Emmerich
– No one left behind: In pursuit of
growth for the benefit of everyone –
concluded that the borough had the
right growth ambitions and was at a
critical juncture to unlock its potential.
It included over 100
recommendations and set goals to
the year 2035, and has informed the
development of the housing plans.
David Harley, acting head of planning
and regeneration at the council,
says: “Critically, it is about enhancing
existing assets and the borough’s
sense of identity, as well as achieving
real placemaking regeneration that
leaves no one behind.”
Barking town centre is a crucial
site. The 97-ha area is one of the
capital’s housing zones and the

20

Above left: Modern
show homes at
360 Barking.
Above and right:
Vicarage Field
shopping centre
plans include
850 homes and a
primary school.

It’s about
achieving real
placemaking
which leaves
no one behind

council is now expecting to create
more than 6,000 homes there, with a
substantial element of PRS.
Located on a prominent site
near the station, 360 Barking is a
key part of the area’s ambitions
for housing. The £52 million Swan
Housing scheme features interlinked
residential towers designed by Studio
Egret West, with 291 one and twobedroom apartments for private sale,
including 96 for shared ownership in
four circular towers ranging from nine
to 28 storeys. The complex will have a
concierge and plans for it to become

BOLD Housing

a creative arts hub will add to the
borough’s cultural focus.
The scheme was awarded “Best
Scheme in Planning” at the National
Housing Awards 2016 and will include
panoramic views across the capital’s
skyline from the communal garden
roof terraces and higher apartments.
The first stage of the scheme,
launched in November 2016, with
100% sold off-plan and the second
stage launched in mid-February 2017.
Geoff Pearce, executive director
of regeneration and development at
Swan, says that the development,

which is expected to complete in
January 2019, is the first to come
forward in the capital in a housing
zone with the aid of GLA funding.
Building on the success of the Ice
House Quarter, the council aims to
retain the ground floor to provide
a facility for artists as part of the
Barking Artist Enterprise zone.
The Bath Haus, Barking, a holistic
spa which up until now has been
located in Barking library, is also due
to have a permanent home on the
ground floor of 360 Barking.
Also in the housing zone is Vicarage
Field shopping centre, which Benson
Elliot and Londonewcastle are
redeveloping into a mixed-use scheme
with around 900 homes, a 150-bed
hotel, workspace for startups, a 650seat cinema; a gym; a music venue
and new healthcare facilities. The
scheme will also incorporate a threeform entry primary school.
Designed by Studio Egret West,
the development was given outline
approval by the council’s planning
committee in January 2017, and is
now awaiting final approval from
London mayor Sadiq Khan.
Meanwhile, the 17-ha Ford
Stamping Plant is part of the London
Riverside Opportunity Area in
Dagenham, and has been earmarked
by the GLA as an important location
for homes, jobs, infrastructure
and growth.
Dagenham Dock – a joint venture

between St Congar and Europa
Capital Partners – acquired the land
in May 2015, and began work at the
end of September. St Congar director,
Steve Taylor, describes it as “one of
the most exciting growth opportunity
areas in London”. He says the
developers are planning a mixed-use,
residential-led scheme comprising
around 3,000 homes.
But the council has also taken a
novel approach to providing homes for
all parts of the community. In 2012, it
established its own housing company,
Barking and Dagenham Reside,
to deliver more affordable homes
for local people. So far, 621 homes
have been built, which are available
at discounted market rent. Future
schemes will also include shared
ownership properties.
Harley says that later in 2017, the
council is also intending to establish
Be First, a private company tasked
with regenerating the borough. “One
element of Be First’s role will be to
deliver Reside’s development pipeline
as well as supporting the private
sector to deliver homes and jobs,”
Harley adds.
“Be First will combine public
sector regeneration ethos and
local knowledge with private sector
expertise and flexibility to deliver the
best of both worlds.”
Barking and Dagenham’s innovative
approach to housing seems to be
paying dividends.

21

BARKING AND DAGENHAM

LONDONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CREATIVE BOROUGH

Photos: Performers at the Broadway Theatre, the proposed East Brook Studios, Cllr Darren Rodwell enjoying a festival - photo Jimmy Lee, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan visiting
The White House in Dagenham, a production of The Merchant of Venice by Studio 3 Arts - photo Mark Sepple.

MOVE TO

BARKING NOT BERLIN

15 minutes

FILMS
NOT FORDS

Barking and Dagenham is London’s Growth
opportunity for the creative industries.
With the Barking Artist Enterprise Zone and proposals for a Film industry
cluster at Dagenham East, the Borough can play a key role in retaining the
Capital’s creativity. We already have a strong network of partners:

Healthy living
New developments open the opportunity to
create places where people can live happier,
healthier and longer lives. James Wood reports

Above and right:
Green space at
Barking Riverside is
seen as imperative
to encouraging
healthy living.

24

BOLD Healthy new town

AS EFFORTS TO RESOLVE the housing
crisis are increasingly focused on
building the desired number of units,
there is a danger of prioritising
volume over creating desirable and
healthy places to live.
The challenges facing the NHS
are well documented. Services are
stretched, GP waiting times are
up and the number of people with
conditions ranging from obesity to
dementia continue to soar.
It is hard to change established
habits in places where fast food
outlets and restrictive town planning
for pedestrians are commonplace,
but as new developments spring
up around the country, there is an
opportunity to think about creating
healthier communities for the future.
NHS England’s Healthy New Town
project aims to help achieve this. The
initiative was launched in March 2016
and Barking Riverside was among

10 “demonstrator sites” chosen for
the project.
New developments were selected
to redesign how local health and
care services will be provided,
particularly in improving wellbeing
and independence. It is thought that
by doing this, there is potential to
contribute to the long-term financial
security of the NHS: it is estimated the
healthy new towns project could help
close the significant funding gap by
2-3% by 2020/21.
Barking and Dagenham Council
and healthy ageing innovation centre,
Care City, are co-leading the scheme,
working closely with the Barking
Riverside Limited joint venture
partnership – made up of housing
developer London and Quadrant (L&Q)
and the Greater London Authority
(GLA) – which will oversee the building
of 10,800 homes at the site, scheduled
for completion by 2031. It will become

There is a real opportunity at this
stage in the project to think about
future methods of health care

25

BOLD Healthy new town

one of the largest housing projects in
the country.
Care City, set up by Barking and
Dagenham Council and the North East
London Foundation Trust, is based in
Barking, and focuses on health and
social care across four boroughs in
east London.
Working with researchers,
education providers, technology
experts, SMEs and social enterprises,
its focus is on helping people to lead
healthy lives, stay independent for
longer, have better access to care
and be given the chance to stay close
to family.

Above: Striking
architecture and
flower beds at
Barking Riverside.

26

These are the key aims for making
Barking Riverside a healthy new town
from the outset.
John Craig, chief executive of Care
City, says: “A big focus at Barking
Riverside will be on delivering good
quality housing and the provision of
technology that allows people to live
healthy and independent lives in their
homes into old age, creating a healthy
environment and finding ways to
provide more effective care services.”
Careful infrastructure planning
will be required, such as making
fibre broadband and wifi available in
public areas across the site, giving
people access to ‘real-time’ transport
information and designing public
spaces to account for a range of needs
and uses.
Dr Fiona Wright, consultant
in public health at Barking and
Dagenham Council, believes that
creating a connected community
and a sense of place is crucial to
implementing the healthy new town.
She says: “Together, we want to
make Barking Riverside a place which
is healthy for all who live and work
in and around the area.
“In the process, we want to ensure
that no one is left behind, that all
new residents benefit and that the
process also works for existing and

neighbouring communities.”
This will be achieved by making sure
visitors to the area benefit, as well as
local residents, irrespective of their
economic and social circumstances
Adopting the healthy new town for
the development has the potential to
have an effect for the whole borough,
by creating opportunities such as
access to the riverside and more
green space for all.
Making effective use of the natural
environment is key. Waterside space
will not only be available for runners
and cyclists, but also for those who
value having quiet areas to walk, talk
and think.
But the scale of Barking Riverside
creates a challenge. Wright says: “The
rate of growth and the poor social and
health outcomes for the residents
of our borough provide us with an
imperative to put in place strategies
to maximise health and wellbeing
benefits for all residents as the
borough grows.”
A shared commitment from the
council, NHS and developers will
ensure Barking Riverside is designed
with an emphasis on ecological and
sustainable practice.
One of the first pieces of work
completed saw residents and advisers
create 10 healthy new town principles,

BOLD Healthy new town

which are now written into planning
guidance for developers.
The ultimate aim is to improve the
average life expectancy for people at
Barking Riverside.
“There is a genuine chance to
change lives,” Wright explains.
Barking Riverside is managed by a

We want to
make Barking
Riverside a
place which is
healthy for all

Above: open spaces
abound at the site
to explore.

Community Interest Company (CIC),
which currently includes Barking
Riverside Limited, L&Q as a housing
association, the council, the George
Carey Primary School, local residents
and other observatory bodies.
As the development grows, the
local population will be more involved
with the project, enabling residents
to determine priorities and decisions.
Eventually, the idea is to let residents
drive the initiative.
Matt Carpen, project director
of Barking Riverside Limited,
says: “There will be increased
representation on the CIC from the
local population, enabling priorities
and decisions to be debated by
residents themselves.
“There is a real opportunity at this
stage in the project to think about
future methods of both prevention
and health care – from designing
open spaces and promoting their use
and wellbeing – to encouraging selfdiagnosis and treatment.”
So what’s next for the project? Care
City and Barking and Dagenham
Council are working closely with NHS
England and collaborating with those
charged with implementing other

healthy new towns across the country
to share good practice and ideas for
each demonstrator site.
Craig says an early priority is to
develop “detailed metrics” to allow
work to be independently modified
and verified.
The key to this, he says, is
connecting a healthy place with how
people really use the space.
“We will work closely with the CIC
to ensure that work to help people
become and remain healthy is
genuinely led by them,” he adds.
Wright stresses the importance of
working with partners so that Barking
Riverside is a healthy place to live and
grow old.
“But we are equally determined
that Barking Riverside and the health
promoting environment will develop
links strongly with our surrounding
communities so all can benefit from
this Healthy New Town,” she adds.
“We will continue work and
collaborate with other healthy new
towns, our community and partners
to embrace and embed our vision for
Barking Riverside and take forward
these innovative approaches to help
other communities learn and develop
their healthier environments.”
Those heading up Barking
Riverside’s Healthy New Town
initiative seem fairly robust in their
ideas about how they intend to
achieve their ambitions, but what is
the guarantee that new residents at
Barking Riverside will be willing and
able to participate?
“Places ‘lock in’ certain kinds of
behaviours,” says Craig.
“Often, to help people live healthier
lives, the challenge is just how much
needs to change. To be encouraged to
cycle more, people need somewhere
to cycle to, pathways that get them
there, and a place to store their bike
when they get home.
“If any one piece of the puzzle is
missing, behaviour change becomes
dramatically harder. Healthy places
are those that combine all of these
elements – where the healthy option
becomes the easy option for all.”

27

Is modular
housing
the
answer?

Swan is currently supporting the transformation of Barking
Town Centre with our landmark scheme at Cambridge
Road, where local residents will be given priority to purchase
homes in four award winning cylindrical towers.
At Swan, we were one of the first Housing Associations
to have our own in-house contractor- NU living - and to
build homes for private sale. Over £54 million from our
commercial activities has already been reinvested to
deliver our social purpose of providing homes and services
including our accredited foyer service and our community
development team.
Swan is continuing its history of innovation by using its
new factory to manufacture new homes using cutting edge
construction techniques.
In a high-tech manufacturing environment, modules (made
of sustainable cross laminated timber) will be constructed
and fitted out before delivery to site.
The benefits of our high quality modular homes are:
•
•
•
•

The manufacturing process standardises quality and
reduces cost and the buyers benefit from 60 year insurance
cover.
So if the question is ‘how can we meet growing demand
for housing?’, we think modular housing is part of the
answer.

Swan’s factory will produce up to 300 homes a year
and with a secured development pipeline of over 3,500
homes, there’s plenty to build. 570 modular homes will
be delivered to Swan’s £150m regeneration of Craylands
in Basildon, known as Beechwood, a project being
delivered in partnership with the Homes and Communities
Agency and Basildon Borough Council.
Modular won’t be right for every scheme, so we will
still build traditionally too. We have a great track record
with completed projects including our award winning
regeneration of Crossways in Tower Hamlets. Transformed
as Bow Cross, it won the Mayor’s Award for Planning 5
Years On.
On-going projects include Blackwall Reach, a £300m
scheme we are delivering in partnership with the Mayor of
London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets, bringing
an additional 1,248 high quality homes to Poplar. Critically,
over 50% will be affordable tenure (including large family
homes) and 80% of these homes are for social rent. It is
perhaps unsurprising then, that this 1,500 home scheme
has already scooped the Mayor’s Award for Planning Gain
2015.
So, after almost a quarter of a century of delivering great
homes and communities, we still believe we can do more.
That’s why our new corporate strategy is all about how,
working with partners, we will do just that. This will include
delivering more high quality modular and traditionally built
homes to meet housing demand in the South East.
If you would like to find out how together we can deliver
more, contact Geoff Pearce, Executive Director of
Regeneration & Development (gpearce@swan.org.uk).

Barking Riverside
Barking Riverside Limited is a joint
venture made up of the Greater
London Authority (GLA) and London
and Quadrant (L&Q).
The 180-ha brownfield site on the
northern banks of the River Thames is
the capital’s largest regeneration site.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
approved a new masterplan for the
scheme in September 2016, paving
the way for up to 10,800 new homes,
of which a minimum of 35% will be
allocated as affordable from the
outset, with provision to rise this to
50% over time through additional
investment and viability reviews.
The developers aim to build
600 homes a year until 2030, which is
when the scheme is due to complete.
With 800 homes already built,
a further 200 are expected to be
completed by summer 2017.
The first of these homes were
completed in September 2016, with
more following in January 2017.
L&Q has launched the first
100 private rented sector (PRS) units;
3,000 PRS units are featured in the
overall masterplan for the site.
The £263 million extension of the
London Overground Gospel Oak to
Barking line into Barking Riverside is
predicted to make the location more
attractive to potential homebuyers.
The majority of the funding,
£173 million, is being provided by
Barking Riverside Limited, with the
remainder from Transport for London.
A public inquiry was held in October
2016 over a Transport and Works
Act Order to secure the powers and
planning permission. A decision on
the inquiry was expected in 2017 and
work on the extension would then
start in 2018.
The station is expected to be fully
operational by 2021.

Beam Park
The 29-ha Beam Park development
on the site of the former Ford factory
plant by Countryside and L&Q will
see 2,800 homes built, 35% of which
will be shared ownership properties
marketed to the local community.
Countryside and L&Q, supported by
the mayor of London, are progressing
a planning application to be submitted
in spring 2017. The scheme includes a
railway station, a commercial quarter
and community facilities.
The development will also feature a
C2C station and a primary school.
Improved pedestrian and cycling
routes and a public park along the
River Beam will also be developed.
Due to open in 2020, the station will
enable local residents to reach central
London in 20 minutes. The project
received a £9 million grant from
Transport for London’s growth fund.
The disused factory on the site was
used for the dress rehearsal of the
opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic
Games and formed the backdrop to
the film Made in Dagenham.

31

BOLD Projects

Barking Wharf

Ford Stamping Plant
Adjacent to Beam Park, the 17-ha
Ford Stamping Plant is part of the
London Riverside Opportunity Area
in Dagenham.
Dagenham Dock, a joint venture
between St Congar and Europa Capital
Partners, acquired the site in early
2016 and demolition work started
in September.
The site is near Dagenham Dock
station and has a journey time to the
City of 20 minutes.
The developers plan to create a
mixed-use, residential-led scheme
comprising 2,650 homes, and
believe it will serve as a catalyst
for the opportunity area, as well as
integrating with Beam Park.
A team has now been appointed
to draw up an outline planning
application for the project, which is
likely to be submitted to the council

32

in autumn 2017. This will follow a
consultation process with the local
community, elected representatives,
the Greater London Authority (GLA)
and the London Borough of Barking
and Dagenham.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, leader
of Barking and Dagenham Council
– who toured the site in September
with Jon Cruddas, Labour MP for
Dagenham and Rainham – welcomed
the transformation of the “derelict
site, which once epitomised postindustrial decline”.
Steve Taylor, director at St Congar,
who is overseeing the project, called
the site “one of the most exciting
growth opportunity areas in London”.
The GLA has earmarked the Ford
Stamping Plant as a key location for
new homes, jobs, infrastructure and
growth in the capital.

Work is about to start on a scheme
featuring almost 600 homes in
Barking town centre.
Barking Wharf will be developed
on 1.57ha of the 3.64-ha Abbey Retail
park, between the River Roding and
Abbey Ruins.
Developer be:here was granted
permission in spring 2016 and will
deliver 597 properties specifically
designed for rent.
The scheme – which is in two
levelled blocks between six and
15 storeys – will also include 1,617sq
m of flexible commercial space, as
well as car and cycle parking.

Vicarage Field
shopping centre

eavers Quarter
W
(Gascoigne Estate)
Housing association East Thames is working in partnership
with Barking and Degenham Council to transform the
eastern side of the Gascoigne Estate in Barking, replacing
old properties with 1,575 new homes.
The development, named Weavers Quarter, is expected to
bring £300 million of investment into the town centre.
Plans designed by architects Levitt Bernstein and Allies
and Morrison include new primary and secondary schools,
an energy centre, a community centre, play areas and
space for retail.
The homes will have between one and four bedrooms and
will be available for rent, shared and private ownership.
Phase one of the scheme was given the green light in
October 2014. It included 421 homes and a medical centre,
replacing 382 properties previously on the estate.
Contractor Bouygues UK was appointed the following
year and work started shortly afterwards. Completion for
this phase is expected in 2018.
The council’s cabinet approved detailed plans for the
second stage of development in July 2016, which will see
470 homes and a school built.
Councillor Dominic Twomey, deputy leader of Barking
and Dagenham Council, said the local authority’s vision was
to create an “attractive and prosperous” community, with
the new school at the heart of it.
According to Trevor Burns, executive director for
development, sales and asset management at East
Thames, the development has the potential to “completely
transform Barking town centre”.
The council has assembled a £106 million fund and
agreed to start rehousing the residents of the blocks
earmarked for demolition.
The scheme, which will include further phases, is
scheduled for completion in 2024.

Around 900 homes are to be built
in Barking town centre as part of
the redevelopment of Vicarage Field
shopping centre.
The project, by developers Benson
Elliot and Londonewcastle, includes
a 150-bed hotel, affordable space for
startups, a 650-seat cinema, a gym,
a music venue, a primary school and
healthcare facilities.
It aims to create a new shopping,
dining and leisure destination and will
feature a shared communal garden
with play spaces for residents.
The scheme is estimated to
generate up to 1,000 new jobs.
Barking and Dagenham Council’s
planning committee gave it the goahead in January 2017.
The application now needs to be
referred to the mayor of London
for a final decision and section 106
agreements are needed for it to
secure outline planning permission.
Deputy leader of Barking and
Dagenham Council, Councillor
Dominic Twomey, welcomed the
plans, saying the redevelopment
“puts the green into Vicarage Field”
and “paves the way for a 21st century
retail experience, balancing the
needs of consumers. It brings with
it entertainment outlets, homes for
Londoners, amazing green leisure
facilities and jobs for local people.”

33

BOLD Projects

360 Barking

Abbey Sports Centre
redevelopment
The redevelopment of the former
Abbey Sports Centre will deliver
150 homes for private rental and
3,350sq m of commercial and retail
space. It will include a cinema, offices
and public realm improvements.
Designed by bptw partnership,
plans involve the construction of a
building varying in height from two to
13 storeys on Axe Street, Barking.
Retail and leisure uses will be at
ground level. The first floor will be
occupied by offices and the upper
levels by one and two-bedroom
homes, with a small portion of
three-bedroom properties; 15 will be
suitable for wheelchair adaptation.
Developer Lindhill and Barking and
Dagenham Council’s regeneration and
planning team worked with bptw on
the design.
The council gave approval for the
mixed-use scheme in October 2016.
Expressing his satisfaction on being
granted planning permission, Lindhill
director Lee Fitzpatrick said the Abbey
Sports Centre redevelopment scheme
showed “what the right development
team and a forward-thinking,
proactive council can achieve”.
Adele Lawrence, planning case
officer, stated in a report that officers
thought that the design of the
development was “a well-considered
response, given the mixed-use nature
of the site”.
“The architectural and residential
quality is considered to be high
throughout and would make for an
interesting addition to the town centre
built form,” she added.

34

Nu Living – the residential arm of Swan Housing
Association – has started work on a £52 million scheme in
Barking town centre.
Located by the station, 360 Barking is made up of four
interlinked circular towers ranging from nine to 28 storeys,
designed by Studio Egret West.
Awarded Best Scheme in Planning at the National
Housing Awards 2016, it will deliver 291 one and twobedroom apartments, all with balconies, 96 of them for
shared ownership.
Some apartments have been released in the tallest
tower, The Heights. Prices start from £302,500 for a onebedroom apartment and from £372,500 for a twobedroom apartment.
The complex will have a concierge and commercial
space and provides panoramic views across the capital’s
skyline from the communal garden roof terraces and the
apartments higher up.
Affordable workspace for artists and others working in
the creative industries will feature on the ground floor,
which the council aims to retain.
The first phase of the scheme launched in November
2016 and all properties marketed were sold off-plan. The
second stage launched in mid-February 2017.
Work is expected to finish in January 2019.

Becontree Heath
Plans for Becontree Heath include
170 homes.
Barking and Dagenham
Council identified a set of sites for
development as part of the scheme:
they include the location of the
former Althorne Way tower block,
the bus stand on Wood Lane with the
nearby car park; the landscaped area
between Wood Lane and Gosfield
Road and the location of the former
council offices on Stour Road.
Developer Countryside, working
with Stitch Architects, was selected
to work with the council and create a
masterplan for the project.
The scheme will be a mix of private
town houses and apartments for sale
and Barking and Dagenham Reside
shared ownership and discounted
market rent homes.
Residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; feedback on the
proposals was collected in summer
2016, ahead of the submission of the
planning application.
This September, Coventry
University will start operating its
CU London campus in the councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
former civic centre, adjacent to the
Becontree Heath site (see page 8).

arking Riverside
B
Gateways Housing
Zone
The Barking Riverside Gateways
Housing Zone has been confirmed,
creating the potential for 3,000 further
homes next to the 10,800-home
Barking Riverside site.
Rick Mather Architects is finalising
the masterplan for the area, located
between Barking Riverside and
Thames View.
The scheme will involve the
transformation of an existing
industrial site.
This will create a new residential
area, along with commercial space
and a new secondary school.
Barking and Dagenham Council
will be launching the search for a
development partner at the global
property conference, MIPIM 2017.
The event takes place in Cannes,
south of France, between 14 and 17
March 2017.

in Barking
Largest increase
in house prices
of any London
borough: up 17%
from £246,955
in 2015 to
£288,873 in 2016
(Source: UK House Price
Index: November 2016)

£4.5 million
upgrade to
Dagenham’s
civic centre

town centre

1,575 homes
,a
community c
a public squaentre and
re to be built
on Weavers
Quarter (form
erly the
Gascoigne es
tate)

for Coventry
University’s
London
campus
37

BOLD Regeneration: the artists’ view

Regeneration:
the artists’ view
What is the relationship between
art and regeneration? Do artists
play a role in the redevelopment
of an area – or should they?
Marco Cillario asks five people
involved with Barking and
Dagenham’s cultural scene for
their views on the matter
38

CHRISTINA FORD
(PICTURED SITTING,
RIGHT), RESIDENT ARTIST
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Arts organisation Create
London has transformed
an 18th century farmhouse
on the Becontree estate
into a community space.
Every three months, two
artists are hosted at The
White House to develop
projects engaging the local

community. Long-time
Barking and Dagenham
resident and single mother
Christina Ford is one of
them and is using art to
support others who find
themselves in her situation.
Tell me about the project
you are working on at
the moment.
Barking and Dagenham
has the highest percentage
of lone parent households

BOLD Regeneration: the artists’ view

in England and Wales and
I am offering them drop-in
sessions during the day and
in the evenings.
We are running different
workshops for three
months, as well as arts and
crafts sessions.
I’ll also be working
on producing a piece of
documentary theatre.
Unfortunately, some
voices get lost, and if lone
parents’ voices were heard
today we would not be
facing the challenges and
stigma that we do. I think if
people listened we would be
better understood.
As an artist, what can you
do to support a community
affected by regeneration?
Artists can identify needs
and work and engage with
their community.
I know one of the biggest
worries within regeneration
is that people are going to
be left behind.
Change is difficult for
everyone. Our role is about

helping local people keep
up with it, by providing a
space where voices get
heard and become part of
that process.
Why is art the right way to
do that?
Art is a platform to be
involved in a community,
be a part of something and
meet other people.
I think, in such a diverse
borough as Barking and
Dagenham, this is very
important: art is a good
way to build bridges.
The council has done an
amazing job in supporting
arts and artists based
within the borough.
I know artists I went
to university with at the
Royal Central School of
Speech and Drama in Swiss
Cottage: a lot of their work
used to be focused around
that area, however a lot
of them are now trying
to come to Barking and
Dagenham, because we are
really rich in art.

MICHAEL CUBEY (ABOVE),
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AND HEAD OF CREATIVE
WORKSPACES AT BOW
ARTS TRUST
Charity Bow Arts Trust has
set up a venture to provide
500sq m of affordable
artists’ workspace on the
ground floor of IceHouse
Court. Painters, sculptors,
shoemakers, design and
craft makers, textile and
fashion artists have taken
up space at the venue.
Michael, how do you think
supporting artists can
benefit an area?
Artists are and should be
part of the community in
which they are based, not
separate from it or simply
‘passing through’.
If they are provided with
affordable workspace, with
the chance to develop their
practice and with income
opportunities to support
this, artists are able to
spend more time in the

area they are working in,
and become much more
engaged locally.
Why should local
authorities and developers
take into account artistic
space when making plans
for the redevelopment of
an area?
London prides itself on
being a cultural capital,
and that requires space
for artists to make work –
research and development
as well as production
and display. For this to
be sustainable, to avoid
London simply becoming
a city of museums, but to
retain its critical mass of
creative activity, it is vital
that affordable workspace
is retained.
The benefit that wellmanaged artistic activity
coming out of these spaces
brings to an area, and to a
developer, in helping make
it a more interesting place
to live, is obviously very
important too.

39

BOLD Regeneration: the artists’ view

VERITY-JANE KEEFE
(BELOW), LOCAL ARTIST
Verity-Jane Keefe is a
visual artist with a fine
arts background who
has worked in Barking
and Dagenham for more
than 10 years, exploring
the relationship between
people and places, and is
still active and involved in a
number of projects.
What is the role of
regeneration in your work?
My work looks at how
people ‘live’ regeneration,
what it is like on the ground.
What does regeneration
really mean? What I have
learned through my work
is that the word has a
much more complex
meaning than we normally
assume: it affects everyone,
from council officers to
residents and developers. It
represents social change.
When estates and tower
blocks are demolished, it is
not just old buildings that
go: it is also the people who
go, and that could change
the community.
Can you give me an
example of this?
In 2013, I was
commissioned by Barking
and Dagenham Council
to produce work about

40

the redevelopment of
Goresbrook Village, now
known as Castle Green
Place, which saw developer
Countryside replace three
tower blocks with
149 new homes.
My work was called
‘Legoland’: the name refers
to the fact that local people
used to say the towers
looked as if they were made
of Lego.
The filming took 18
months, showing the estate
before, during and after the
redevelopment. We also
included interviews with
residents, housing officers,
decanting officers and shot
footage of the demolition
and the reconstruction of
the site.
When the work was
finished, the new residents
had already moved in.
The screening, which
happened between the
remaining construction site
and new homes in February
2015, saw people who used
to live there, new residents,
councillors and developers,
all coming together in
the same place for the
same event, sharing their
experience and showcasing
their work.
That is what I mean when
I talk of the role of the artist
within regeneration: what it
is, could be and should be.

LINDSEY PUGH (ABOVE),
CREATIVE PRODUCER,
CREATIVE BARKING
AND DAGENHAM
Launched in August 2012,
Creative Barking and
Dagenham (CBD) is one of
England’s 21 Arts Council
England-funded Creative
People and Places (CPP)
projects, aimed at getting
people who are based in
areas of low engagement
more involved in the arts.
Lindsey, what has been the
impact of the initiative on
the borough so far?
Throughout phase one of
the project, 850 different
creative events have taken
place, 30 venues across the
borough have hosted our
activities, 80 community
groups have been involved
in the project, and more
than 250 artists and arts
organisations have worked
with us.
More than 150 residents
have signed up as cultural
connectors, to vote on the
types of projects they would
like to see and be involved
with commissioning every

artist we have worked with.
Also, 1,765 volunteers
have helped us create great
arts experiences.
We have also established
three new festivals:
Dagfest, Thamesfest at
Barking Riverside (pictured
below) and a new winter
light festival, Glow, which
welcomed more than 2,000
visitors in November 2016.
Due to the success of the
first phase, CBD has been
awarded a further three
years of funding until 2019.
What is the role of
artists in an area which
is undergoing major and
rapid change such as
Barking and Dagenham?
Artists can play a critical
role in developing
community relationships
and in celebrating the rich
history of an area.
They have the capacity to
work in a deep, meaningful
way with community
groups that are facing
change, to facilitate
individual expression, and
enrich social and cultural
development that occurs
within their communities.

BOLD Regeneration: the artists’ view

LIZA VALLANCE (BELOW),
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AT
STUDIO 3 ARTS
Studio 3 Arts is one of
the UK’s leading social
engagement practices
and was founded 30 years
ago by a group of young
female students at Barking
College, disappointed at
the lack of opportunities
for young local people to be
involved in the arts.
Liza, what is the idea
behind your organisation?
We have two main
purposes: to reduce the
barriers to arts participation
and to support people to

use art to make sense of
the world.
How is this done?
Most of our projects involve
more than one art form
and we are specialised in
choosing the right one to
work with the appropriate
client group.
For example, we have
recently started work
on the ‘Weaving the
Gascoigne’ project: we
were commissioned by
East Thames Group in
September 2016 to develop
the public arts strategy
for the new scheme at the
Gascoigne estate, which
is now going to be called

Weavers Quarter (above).
The Weavers Quarter
scheme will see 1,575
homes, a community
centre and a public square
built. What is in there for
an arts organisation?
We have assembled a
steering group of 12 local
people who are interested
in the role of public art
in a regeneration context
and they are working
closely with us to carry
out research and public
consultation events to come
up with ideas on the kind of
public art initiatives which
would work well within the
new estate. In March 2017,
we will send the strategy
over to East Thames, so
they can integrate works
of art into the development
and design.
A particular emphasis
will be on the role creative
spaces and interesting

landscaping can play
in creating an idea of
neighbourhood in what will
be a really new community
of people – there is likely
to be a lot of newcomers in
this development.
Why do you think art is the
right way to help build up a
new community?
Art can humanise a process
and trigger conversations
in ways that other forms
of community engagement
just cannot.
What we are really clear
about at Studio 3 Arts is
that art doesn’t require a
hierarchy or any kind of
academic prerequisite to be
able to take part in it.
Our work is about using
creativity and comfortable
spaces to encourage people
to talk. Ultimately, it is
about building relationships,
and that’s what I think art
can do within regeneration.

41

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visit boldmagazine.co.uk/directory

BOLD Lifestyle

Better eats and
full theatre seats
Theatre, leisure and gastronomic improvements to
Barking and Dagenham have transformed the London
borough in the last few years. James Wood reports
Pictured: Ballet
Theatre UK brought
Romeo and Juliet
to The Broadway
Theatre in January.

A LIVELY NIGHT-TIME offer and the
opportunity to lead a healthy lifestyle
can contribute towards people’s
decision to move and settle in an
area. Though Barking and Dagenham
is perhaps not known as the most
fashionable part of London, residents
have started to note improvements to
the quality of life in the borough.

Crowded house
The Broadway Theatre, which was
renovated in 2004, is a major boon for
Barking’s night-time offer. Designed
by architect Tim Foster, first-time
visitors to the town are said to often
comment on the attractiveness of the
glass-clad facade. The auditorium

seats 341 people and the theatre
prides itself on attracting diverse
audiences through its range of shows.
The Upbeat Beatles performed
at The Broadway in January 2017,
just a few months after the release
of Ron Howard’s box office hit film,
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, The
Touring Years. The tribute act covered

43

BOLD Lifestyle

the Fab Four’s trajectory through the
1960s, from their early days playing at
Liverpool’s Cavern Club to performing
on the rooftop of the Apple building in
central London, 1969.
Other events during the year’s first
quarter include wrestling, tribute
nights to musicians ranging from
Matt Monroe to The Beach Boys, a
ballet performance of Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet and a contemporary
dance and visual arts show called
Beyond Boundaries.
Double Palme d’Or winner at the
Cannes Film Festival, Ken Loach,
backed the theatre in 2012 when
it faced closure. The Broadway
survived and today is central to the
borough’s cultural offer. It is managed
by Barking and Dagenham College,
where its School for the Performing
Arts and Technical Theatre is located.
Students make use of the facility’s
recording studio and rehearsal and
music technology rooms, giving
them access to industry-standard
equipment. Ticket prices for shows
are aimed at being kept affordable,
encouraging all parts of the local
community to turn out for events.
Food for thought
The recipient of a Time Out London
food award in 2016 and the winner

Pictured: Cristina’s
on the high street
in Barking offers
prime steaks to rave
reviews online.

44

of a TripAdvisor Certificate of
Excellence the year before, Cristina’s
Steak House is one of the most
popular restaurants in the borough.
TripAdvisor, the online traveller advice
website, is brimming with glowing
reviews of the establishment, which
overlooks Barking Abbey in the town
centre. The menu features affordable
steaks and an “untraditional” Sunday
roast is also popular – trimmings
with roast beef include sautéed kale,
roasted butternut squash and braised
cabbage. Many guests have enjoyed

Cristina’s homemade “beefed up”
Scotch eggs too.
The steakhouse was set up in
June 2013 by Cristina Bumbuc as
a response to the perceived lack
of independent restaurants in the
area. With its homemade signs,
furniture and ‘stripped-down’ look,
Cristina’s popularity has grown
steadily since then, with turnover
increasing year-on-year. A model
cow outside the building is a draw
for tourists and schoolchildren. Chris
Foster, Cristina’s marketing manger,

There is a
definite feeling
of change in the
air and you can
really see how
much potential
there is in
Barking

BOLD Lifestyle

says many people stop outside the
restaurant to take selfies with the lifesized animal.
“I think we have shown that
people in Barking really value having
a restaurant that isn’t another
chain, which can really hinder the
development of the area,” he says.
“There is a definite feeling of change
in the air and you can really see how
much potential there is in Barking,
just by walking down the high street.
I think the area struggled for a long
time in finding a sense of identity
but it’s really starting to find its feet
now. The council has been brilliant at
offering a network of support for small
business such as ours, which has
really fostered a sense of community.”
While there is still some way
to go before Barking becomes a
gastronomic hot spot, ventures such
as Ezo Bistro (above, left) in the
station concourse – which opened
in late summer 2014 – do a roaring
trade, suggesting a healthy appetite
for independent cafes and restaurants.
The quirky cafe’s paintings by

homeless artists bought through
charity Café Art, stacked bookshelves
and a variety of crepes and
sandwiches persuade punters to stay.
Fighting fit
Another important criteria for a
successfully developed area is
giving residents the opportunity to
stay active. National charity OnSide
Youth Zone, which sets out to provide
activities in deprived areas for young
people, plans to create a purpose-built
facility in Barking and Dagenham,
named by local people as ‘Future’. It is
expected to be completed in 2018 and
will be located where Parsloes Park
meets Porters Avenue, offering access
to a range of facilities for £5 annually
or 50p a visit. A planning application
has been submitted.
Leisure centres which have opened
in the borough in recent times are
successful. Barking and Dagenham
Council established the Active
Leisure brand in May 2011, pledging
£24 million to create Dagenham’s
Becontree Heath Leisure Centre,

which features two pools, a “jolly
jungle” for children, a gym and
exercise studios. The centre is very
popular – the Amateur Swimming
Association named its swimming
pool as the UK’s busiest in 2014 – and
annual footfall figures are 1,370,000.
Barking’s Abbey Leisure Centre
(above) was established in March 2015
with council investment of £14 million.
It attracts 440,000 people annually
and features Barking’s first luxury
spa – The Abbey Spa – as well as a
140-station gym, a softplay area called
The Idol – designed by Turner Prize
nominee, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd – and
two pools.
Both centres have received
a Chartered Institute for the
Management of Sport and Physical
Activity award for pool safety.
With improvements to the health
and leisure offer starting to be
matched by highly acclaimed
restaurants and cafes, Barking and
Dagenham is now rivalling other
London boroughs as a great place for
dining, exercising and socialising.

45

BOLD Barking-not-Berlin

Creative
call
Barking and Dagenham’s
creative scene continues to
flourish. Those responsible for
the borough’s cultural boom
speak to BOLD about why that is
Move to Barking, not Berlin: this
is Barking and Dagenham council
leader, Darren Rodwell’s message
to creative companies which
feel they are being priced out of
London and are seeking premises
in other capital cities.
Speaking on a working visit
outside the Brandenburg Gate,
the historic gateway to Germany’s
capital, Rodwell says transforming
Barking and Dagenham into
London’s borough of culture would
fulfil a long-held ambition:
“Without art and culture in the
bricks and mortar of a community,
there is no community – it’s what
brings us together and binds us.
“Berlin can’t offer artists anything
that London hasn’t got in spades
and with our Artist Enterprise Zone
I want to make sure it’s always
affordable to them. That’s why I’m
sure we will be hearing artists say:
‘Ich bin ein Barkinger’.”

Why
Barking?
46

Liza Vallance, artistic director of
Studio 3 Arts: “We’ve developed a
network of 150 cultural connectors
– local people who make the
decisions about arts projects in the
borough. So far, they have been
responsible for commissioning
£500,000 of arts programmes.”

Marcel Baettig, CEO of Bow
Arts Trust: “We want to work
with Darren [Rodwell] to create
more opportunities across the
borough and more support for
talented young people to start their
businesses, live here and make
Barking an even greater arts hub.”

Carole Pluckrose, artistic director
of the Boathouse: “It is about
engaging with the local community
and artists working together; it’s
about projects that we can dream
about – an empty space in which
anything can happen.”

Hadrian Garrard, director of
Create London: “There’s a huge
amount of energy here and there
is a real commitment for finding
ways for artists to be here – but in
a way that really benefits residents.
That is not easy to do but I think the
right level of commitment is here.”

Michael Cubey, executive director
and head of creative workspaces
at Bow Arts Trust: “I think the
council has a very clear vision in
acknowledging the role culture
and creative industries can have

in helping transform an area. It’s
really important that this is being
done with a view to supporting
local people’s life chances and
environment – and not just
surface gentrification.”

CGI of masterplan is indicative and subject to change

One of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading developers is investing for the long
term in Barking and Dagenham. Look out for exciting new places
and high-quality homes for everyone to enjoy.